Music Meets Love
by chichirichick
Summary: Pretty AU, but I thought I'd give it a shot. Ichigo is a rock star and Rukia is working on his English debut. But Ichigo has more on his mind than just the music. IchiRuki.
1. Kisushite!

So, normally, I don't like doing these kind of fics (you know, use the characters but in another world situation), but for some reason this popped into my head and I can't get it out. I mean, Ichigo as a rock star? Yes, please. Well, hopefully you'll forgive the change and give it a go! Enjoy.

* * *

I stood in front of the mirror fixing my hair. "Hajimemashite, Kuchiki Rukia desu." A frown graced my features. For a Japanese girl I sure sounded and looked stupid speaking my own language. Living in the US for 15 years didn't help, and I'm sure my pronunciation was going to be like nails on a chalk board to these guys. Or girls? Weren't there two girls, too? I flipped through the files I had absently put on the sink and nodded to myself. Two girls, two guys. Kurosaki Ichigo, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Hinamori Momo, and Arisawa Tatsuki.

My phone started beeping from my bedroom and I dashed for it. "Kuchiki."

"Yo." It was obvious from his voice Shuhei shared my current state of exhaustion. "I hope you're up and dressed."

I looked at my Chappy pajamas and sighed.

"Because they just arrived at the airport."

"They WHAT?" I could hear Shuhei groan at the pitch and force of my voice. "They weren't supposed to get in until _tonight_!"

"Well, you're right, the rest of the band will be here tonight, but the lead singer… Ichiro is here."

"Ichigo," I corrected. I rushed across the room to my laptop and pulled up the train schedule. "Fuck, Shuhei, I'll never make it anywhere near on time, you're going to have to deal with him."

"Like I said, I hope you're up and dressed."

"What?"

"I'm outside," he sighed and a car horn honked in the background.

I groaned and hung up the phone. So much for Shuhei meeting Ichigo by himself, magically remembering Japanese, and taking this horrible project away from me. I wanted to go back to mixing sound for overrated divas that only last a week in the business before going back to being cocktail waitresses. I didn't want this US-yellow-fever breakout band from Japan which promised to be nothing but massive sleep loss, long hours, and no thanks whatsoever. And all because I'm the only one in the office who could still speak Japanese fluently.

I threw on whatever I could grab from the closet, matching and style sacrificed for time. I gathered what I thought I could need and threw it in my bag before sprinting out of my apartment and down to Shuhei's car. He had lit and cigarette and was leaning back in the driver's seat.

"Those will kill you," I grumbled as climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Not before they kill you, Rukia, and that's all that matters to me."

I scowled, making him erupt into laughter. With our regular morning banter dispensed, Shuhei and I spent the rest of the ride into the city silent. Driving or train, we weren't going to make it there in time to actually meet Ichigo, causing me to dig my hands into the seat with my nerves. But Shuhei, as always, was calm and unaffected. He lit another cigarette and turned up the radio, singing idly to the music.

We pulled into the parking deck, me leaping from the car as soon as it came to a stop. I could hear Shuhei chuckle (since I knew he would simply take his time, our job be damned) as I jetted into the building. Knowing the elevator would take forever I opted for the stairs. Since the stairs were not my usual choice, by the time I got the office I was so out of breath I thought I might puke.

I took a few deep breaths and walked into Shuhei's office, sending a weak wave to his secretary.

"Morning, Rukia."

"Hey, Tori," I gulped, still trying to slow my heart down. "Did he get here, yet?"

"Yup, been sitting in the office for the past half hour." Just like Shuhei, Tori was the epitome of calm. When she noticed my distressed reaction she laughed. "Go on in, I'll bring you some tea in a second."

I nodded. Ugh, why was everyone so calm? Our biggest client had been sitting in our office for a half an hour and no one was worried? All these rock stars were drama queens! Ugh, I was fucked. I finally, and agonizingly, opened the door and walked in, almost running right into a tall, orange-haired man.

"Ah, ohayo gozaimasu. Hajimemashite, Kuchiki Rukia desu." I bowed slightly.

He laughed softly. "Hey. Name's Ichigo, nice to meet you."

I shot up straight and pointed at him. "You can speak English?"

He nodded, a smirk on his face. "And you can speak pretty good Japanese."

"Thanks…" I tilted my head in confusion. Why was I here if he could speak perfect English?

"Don't sound so disappointed," Ichigo smirked. "The rest of the band can hardly speak a word of English, so you'll still get to use it, especially with that cute little American accent."

Cute? Was he flirting with me? I was sure I was blushing. "I'll have you know I was born in Japan, thank you." I tried to sound indignant but there was probably a stutter or two in there. My aggravation started to rise, that smug look on his face, thinking he was being so smooth. I opened my mouth, ready to assault him, when Shuhei and Tori walked in. Lucky for him. Hmph.

Shuhei extended a hand to Ichigo and he took it, shaking. "Glad to finally meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine." There was that smirk again! Ugh, it was so irritating! Smug bastard.

As if reading my mind, Shuhei shot me a look. He took my tea from Tori and shoved it at me, very nearly given me a boiling bath. "I see you've met Rukia, she'll be your main sound technician."

"She looks a little young. You sure she can handle it?" Ichigo laughed and I thought about giving _him_ a boiling bath, but that would be a waste of tea.

Shuhei chuckled. "She'll be fine." He leaned in to Ichigo, acting as if that was going to stop me from overhearing anything he had to say. "Though, watch it, girl's got a temper."

Oh, he was _asking_ for it.

Ichigo sent a smile my way and, damnit, I melted a little. NO! This was no happening. I took a gulp of my tea, trying to find something to draw my attention to so I could excuse myself from the conversation. Possibly get out of here and to a place that lacked both of these imbeciles.

"Well," Shuhei checked his watch. "I doubt your friends will get here with any time for us to record today. Do you know where you're staying?"

"Oh, I have the address!" Tori took a notebook out of her back pocket and shuffled through some pages, finally finding the right one. "They rented you a three bedroom, just like you asked, Mr. Kurosaki."

Three bedrooms? Last time I checked there was one of him.

Tori pulled out the page and handed it to Shuhei who instantly went to pass it off to me. "I think Rukia can take you there, can't you?"

I eyed Shuhei wearily. "Since when am I an escort?" I hissed lowly at him.

Shuhei shoved the piece of paper in my face. "You can take Ichigo, can't you, Rukia?"

I snatched the paper from his hand and growled, shoving my tea at him in return. "Of course," I answered with thick, syrupy sweetness. I held out my hand, "But I'll need your keys, sir."

Oh, the how the look of terror on his face brought warmth to my heart. One thing about Shuhei: his car is his shrine. He stared in horror at my hand for a moment and then turned to Tori. "Get Rukia the keys to the company car, won't you, Tori?"

Tori checked a few more pockets until pulling out a set of keys, handing them to me. I marveled at her ability to hide things on her person for a moment before turning to Ichigo. "Ready?"

"Lead the way."

I shot one last look at Tori and Shuhei (maybe Tori didn't deserve it, but I had long ago melded the two of them into one person) and then trudged out the door, Ichigo on my heels. I stared at the address intently, trying to use my subpar knowledge of New York to figure out where the hell this place was.

Ichigo had tried to instigate conversation a few times while in the car, but I was still in a tiff. That didn't stop me from stealing glances at him, secretly categorizing him. He didn't seem to be the usual rock star mold. He hadn't really been arrogant, but playful and easy going. No, ok, too many _positive_ adjectives in that sentence. He was, after all, incredibly smug.

I snapped my head back to the road, finding that he caught me looking. He laughed, not in a way to make me feel uncomfortable, but it felt as if he was _encouraging_ me. Or that was just my imagination. I sighed.

"Have you lived in America long?"

"Since I was 5."

"And that would be how long ago?"

"15 years."

"You _are_ young."

I scowled. "Oh, and you're so old! You're only 26."

"Been following me, huh?"

Now I knew I was blushing. "No," I stammered. "I had to read your file. I was made responsible for knowing everything about all of you."

"Everything?" His voice almost seemed… _scared_.

"No," I made myself smile and he relaxed. "The files reminded me of those stupid _Tiger Beat_ interviews, you know, what's your favorite color, what's your sign, that idiotic stuff."

"So what is my favorite color?"

Surprisingly, a genuine laugh snuck out of my mouth. I almost couldn't believe it. I stole a glance at him and I found him already staring at me, his eyes soft and happy. This blush would now never go away. Luckily, I only had a few more moments trapped in the car with him before I found the parking deck for his building. I pulled into a spot and stopped the car, hopping out.

"You're coming in with me?" He hesitated.

"Um… yeah, I guess, is that alright?"

There was a pause and he seemed to consider it a lot more than I thought he would.

"If it's not… I can just go. You know, I'll just go." I went to climb back into the car.

"No," he cleared his throat, his voice gaining back its strength. "No, it's ok, come on."

"Ok…" I locked the car and we walked into the building together. It wasn't exactly your normal rock star abode, but I had a feeling that Ichigo wouldn't have asked for marble floors and Jacuzzis. But it was nice looking, clean, and didn't have bars on the windows. "Wait, we don't have the keys!"

"Ah, no, but I'm sure someone will already be there to let us in." Ichigo smiled, but it was nervous.

Ok, this was turning weird. I had an eerie feeling, like this was some start to a horror movie, and I was going to be the first one to die. But, me being me, I shrugged and went with it. We got in the elevator and went all the way up to the top floor, and then all the way down the hall, to the last apartment.

Ichigo knocked on the door and, surprisingly, I heard footsteps. The door opened a crack and I saw a dark brown eye staring at us. It widened with happiness and the door flew open. "Ichi!"

"Hey, Yuzu!" He picked up the smaller girl and squeezed her.

My face started to get hot. So he had a girlfriend. What am I saying? Like I care! I shook it off (or at least tried to) and smiled at the young lady that was now looking at me.

"Hi, I'm Yuzu!" She started to move her hand to shake but laughed bubbly and threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Yuzu!" Ichigo sounded scolding and loving at the same time.

"Sorry!" Yuzu relinquished her hold on me and giggled. I'm just so excited to be here and-"

A cry erupted in the background.

Without a word, Ichigo snuck past Yuzu and disappeared into the apartment.

"Oh, I woke her," Yuzu whined, disappointedly. "Oh, but, please come in! I'm sorry, what did you say your name is? Brother is so rude, doesn't introduce anyone."

_Brother_! "My name's Rukia," I answered, trying to match her bubbly personality.

I let Yuzu pull me into the apartment. It was obviously still very sparse, having only been moved in today, but Yuzu had definitely done some work. Also, the place smelled great! She must been cooking something.

"There she is!" Yuzu beamed past me and I turned, seeing Ichigo carrying… a baby!

"She feels a little warm," Ichigo scowled, looking the baby over.

"She just woke up from a nap, Ichi, you know she gets toasty! Especially when Auntie Yuzu wraps her up all cozy!" Yuzu took the baby from Ichigo, twirling her and giggling as the baby smiled.

I looked from the baby to Ichigo, seeing that he had watched my visual progression. The two were identical. And Auntie Yuzu. So that meant… his child.

"So, yeah," Ichigo said softly, his eyes slowly shifting away from me. "This is my sister, Yuzu, and my daughter, Ren."

I read his face for a moment. I am by no means a stupid girl, and it was suddenly become apparent that Ichigo wasn't very good at hiding his emotions, so I couldn't do anything but smile at him. Maybe I being a little overconfident, but there was a good possibility that he might like me (notice all the speculative words I used there!)… and I'm sure that bringing home a girl to meet you daughter hadn't been a positive experience before.

"May I?" I held my arms out to Yuzu and she instantly relinquished the baby to me. Honestly, it had been the first time I'd _ever_ touched a kid, let alone a baby. Thankfully, Ren seemed to think I was adequate and stared at me, cooing. "Hello, Ren," I smiled softly, using my free hand to smooth her soft orange hair.

"Hey, Ichi, are you going to be staying for a bit? I wanted to run out to get a few more things for dinner."

"Hm?" I looked at Ichigo just in time to see him finally shift his sight from me to Yuzu. "Oh, yeah, sure, go on ahead."

"Ok! Be back in a little!" Yuzu kissed Ichigo on the cheek and then Ren on the forehead before skipping out the door.

The door closed and we looked back at each other but stayed silent for a while, the only sound being Ren as she cooed and played with my hair.

Ichigo finally cleared his throat. "Uh, I… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Ren."

I laughed at him. "One, it wasn't really my business, and two, who could care after meeting her?" I lifted Ren in the air, finding myself unable to hide a wide smile as a shrill giggle erupted from her.

"Why don't you sit, she gets pretty heavy after a while." Ichigo motioned towards the couch and we both sat down. I placed Ren between us and started going back and forth between the two of us, playing with whatever she could get her hands on.

"It's none of my business, but…"

Ichigo shrugged, "Haven't heard from her since Ren got out of the hospital."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I looked at him and found him staring at Ren, a brilliant smile on his face. "I don't worry about it anymore. She's got so many people, awesome people, that I think she'll make it just fine."

As I watched Ichigo lean in to kiss Ren, watching her grab at his hair, a child so obviously deeply in love with her father, I was overcome with the urge to be a part of it. My sane mind was ridiculing me, shouting about how seriously insane it was to instantly want to attach yourself to a person you barely knew, someone I just met a few hours ago. But there was just something so _different_ about him.

"Rukia?" I noticed his face had turned to worry and realized that I had been spacing-out, lost in the idea of somehow… being with him.

"Sorry, just thinking." I giggled softly and reached out for Ren, placing my hand over his on her head. For once it was not me blushing but him, his skin turning so warm under my touch. Ren crawled into my lap and Ichigo took the opportunity to slide closer to me on the couch.

"Hey, Rukia…" Normally, when people got this close to me I automatically adopted that closed body language but instead I found myself leaning even closer to him, our shoulders almost meeting. "This might sound weird…"

Today had become so strange to begin with that I couldn't expect him to shock me in any other way. As long as he wasn't about to tell me to get the hell out, I was good. "What is it, Ichigo?"

"Let's go out sometime."

I smiled widely and nodded, hugging Ren a little tighter. "I'd like that very much." Ren had pulled herself up, pressing her little body against my chest, her head resting on my shoulder.

"Though, it seems like Ren wants you all to herself." Ichigo laughed and leaned in to pull her away but stopped, inches from my face. "She likes you." But it sounded like that's not what he wanted to say.

"I think she's asleep," I murmured, moving closer to him. There was hardly a distance between us, allowing me to easily slip her back into Ichigo's arms. "Ichigo?"

"Yes?" He hadn't in anyway moved away from me, almost sandwiching Ren between us.

"Kisushite."*

Ichigo did as he was told.

* * *

Note(*): For those of you unfamiliar with Japanese, this is "Kiss me!", written キスして. Though, I'm not going to vouch that this is 100% correct, since only a year's worth of Japanese classes at college doesn't make me fluent (sadly)!


	2. Karaoke!

Thanks so far to all who have reviewed! I had to change the rating since this evolved into a sex scene. I'm such a perv.

I slumped over my desk, burying my face in papers. For the first time in hours I slipped the headphones off my ears and sighed, rubbing them in an attempt to get the feeling back. I finally let my mind slip back to the night before, touching my lips with the soft pads of my fingertips. I wanted his lips again. With that thought my face flushed red and I dug deeper into the sheets of music, hiding the color.

I didn't raise my head for the knock on the door, sure that it was only Tori and I in the office, anyway. "Hey, Rukia, want some coffee?"

"What time is it?" I grumbled to my papers, having lost track of the clock since the moment I came into the office.

"A little past 9," she sighed.

"No, I'll survive," I grumbled.

"Alright," Tori yawned and stretched, smiling at me softly. "Well, I think I'm going to call it a night. Want me to lock up?"

"Don't worry about it. Just when you get home, beat Shuhei for making us work over the weekend."

"Will do," Tori laughed as she turned out of the room and out of the office, leaving me all to myself.

I slipped the headphones back on, still using the desk as a pillow. His voice was even better when he was singing, a throaty crooning that made my heart flutter. "Ichigo..." I murmured, smiling to myself.

"Yes?" He slipped my headphones off my ears, causing me to jump.

My face burned and I sat up quickly. "Ichigo, um, I was just listening..."

"To me?"

"Yes." I tried to recover but could still feel my face getting hotter and hotter. "What are you doing here?"

He grinned widely. "The band wanted to meet you, so I thought I'd invite you out with us tonight."

"Really?" I couldn't help the surprise in my voice.

Ichigo laughed softly. "Of course."

"Alright, then." I stood up slowly, stretching my aching muscles a little before holding out a hand to him. "Lets go."

He looked at my hand for a moment, almost unsure at the offer, but took it, his strong warm grip sending a chill up my spine. I began guiding him around, closing up the office as we went. We were finally just about out the door when he yanked my hand, spinning me and pulling me to him. Before I could even react, his mouth captured mine, making my knees go weak. The way we had kissed the night before was soft, calm. It had just been tentative, both of us unsure whether or not it was the right thing to do. This time, though, Ichigo had apparently gotten over any questions about us.

We parted and I could hardly breath. He was pressing me against the wall, leaving almost no distance between us. "It's ridiculous, but I can't stop thinking about you."

I laughed softly. "I'm sure you say that to all the girls."

"No, there's no other girl like you."

My heart skipped a beat.

He kissed my cheek softly and pulled away from me. I wanted to stop him. I loved the closeness, the touching... which is something I never thought I'd say. I let him detach, though, going back to just holding my hand. He proceeded to take control and pull me out of the office and down and out the building. There was a car waiting for us and Ichigo instructed him to drive to Pulse Karaoke Lounge. I had to control the laughter that wanted to spout from my mouth. The Japanese and their karaoke bars, really.

Traffic was hell and the car spent more time sitting than moving. I felt his eyes on me and a finally turned to face him, catching him contently smiling at me. There's no other girl like me. I blushed, but kept my eyes locked with his. "So... is there anything I should know before I meet them?"

He shook his head with a smile. "I doubt I have to coach you for them. Just be yourself."

Be myself. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's that for?"

I shrugged, still laughing a little. "I'm not myself when I'm with you." I reached out and dared to touch the side of his face. "You do something to me."

"I hope that's a good thing."

I nodded. As if to strengthen my point I leaned forward, kissing him as he'd kissed me before. Like him, I no longer felt there was any question. This is what I wanted.

Ichigo received the kiss happily, only stopping when the driver mumbled something to the two of us. Apparently, we had finally reached our destination. We parted, almost begrudgingly, and exited the car. Ichigo put his hand on the small of my back and led me through the door. Immediately as we entered there was a clamor of people calling Ichigo's name. At first I thought it could be fans until I took a moment to look at them and found myself staring at the people from my files.

Still holding me, Ichigo led me to them, his smile about to break his face in two. "Yo!" He pushed me forward a little, as if showing me off. "This is Rukia. Rukia, this is Toshiro, Momo, and Tatsuki."

They all greeted me warmly, well, except for maybe Tatsuki, who seemed to still keep her distance through her smile. I wanted to make a mental note about it, but my thoughts were instantly turned away by the rambunctious start of our karaoke party. I had been pulled by Ichigo away from the table and into one of the private lounges, the rest of the group following close behind.

Tatsuki and Ichigo were more than happy to take up the first few songs, mostly duets of the cheesiest love songs known to man. Sake was passed around, many, many bottles of sake, encouraging Momo and then finally Toshiro to sing a few songs. I begged internally that they'd all not notice that I wasn't taking my own turn to go, but that was far too big of a dream.

Ichigo leaned in close to me, his breath hot against my ear. "Why don't you sing?"

I blushed and took another sip of sake. "I haven't in a long time..."

"Even more of a reason to do it now," Ichigo smirked.

To my surprise, Momo took my hand and lead me up to the stand, flipping through the book for me. "I think it'd be nice if you sang something for Ichigo!"

I choked a little. "He told you all about... um..."

Momo shook her head. "The way he looks at you."

"What?"

"He looks at you _that way_." Momo grinned. "This one's perfect!"

"Momo, what did you pick?" She didn't answer me and scurried away.

As the music picked up I almost couldn't help but laugh, and I wasn't alone, Tatsuki, Toshiro, and Momo giggled, too, but Ichigo just stared at me intensely with those eyes. His stare made me forget I was just singing for fun, giving it my all instead, like I did before I took this stupid job mixing sound.

_You're giving me too many things_

_Lately you're all I need_

_You smiled at me and said,_

Their laughing stopped and they watched me intently as I belted out the song, trying to do Utada justice, and in my opinion, succeeding. Like I used to, I got lost in the song, closing my eyes, but I could still feel him watching me.

_Hold me_

_Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_Is a little later on_

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all_

_Nothing's like before_

As the music ended I finally opened my eyes, seeing the three of them clapping excitedly, Tatsuki even throwing in a whistle. But Ichigo just smiled at me. I returned to my seat, Momo excitedly complimenting me on my singing. Before I could even get a word out of thanks, Ichigo leaned into me and told me it was time to go. I wanted to argue, to spend more time with these people who were important to him, but the look in his eyes changed my mind. Damnit, I was practically under his control!

We said our goodbyes and he lead me outside and back to the car, which apparently had been waiting for us the whole time. We climbed into the backseat wordlessly, Ichigo only speaking to the driver, directing him back to his apartment. It didn't take long to get there, the previous traffic killed by the late hour. When we finally stopped, Ichigo took my hand and pulled me out of the car, leading me up to the apartment.

"You usually ask a girl up to your apartment, not drag her," I smirked as he led me down the hallway.

He smirked. "I don't think we play by the usual rules."

"Touche."

We finally got to the door and Ichigo opened it, ushering me in. As soon as we reached the living area he grabbed me, pulling me into his arms. "You sing beautifully."

I smiled softly and looked away. "I used to. I'm out of practice."

"You should do it more often."

"I should," but my voice neither sound convincing or enthused.

"What happened?"

I wanted to say it was personal, none of his business. It hasn't. But the way he looked at me... "My sister was the singer, not me. But she... died, so there was no point."

He pulled me tighter, my head resting against his chest.

Without even thinking my mouth opened again, letting the words flood out. "She was all I had... from when we were very little. Foster homes without love, but at least I had her. There was a program, for us under privileged youths, to learn music. They put us both in singing, Hisana because she had a talent for it and me because... well, I didn't speak when I was little. It's almost like they wanted to see if I had a voice to begin with. I would never sing there, but at home, late at night, Hisana would sing and I would echo her. This was the only time I spoke to anyone, even her."

"She eventually aged out... left me behind. Well, had to. Or at least that's what I tell myself. I got letters from her, but visits were few and far between. She eventually got married to a well off man from a well known family. It was then that they adopted me... but by that time Hisana was already sick." I finally noticed the tears rolling down my cheeks, causing my mouth to shut, to stop the memories.

Ichigo pulled away from me slightly, looking me in the eyes. He gently placed his lips against my forehead, sending chills down my spine. It was... the most comforting thing since those nights singing with Hisana. I couldn't keep in the tears, but in a way, I didn't want to. He kissed my forehead again, my eyes, my cheeks, then softly on my lips, a chaste and reassuring kiss. The thought struck me again, how ridiculous this was, how my knowledge of him was only one day old but I had just told him something that no one other than me and my dead sister knew.

"How do you do this to me?" I whispered, almost inaudibly.

"I don't know," he smiled. "Just lucky, I guess."

I laughed, short and soft. "Lucky."

"Yes," he murmured, capturing my lips again for a moment. "Because how else am I supposed to get closer to you... be with you?" I couldn't reply but put my head back on his chest, feeling his cheek rest on the top of my head, his breath soft against my hair. After a while like that he sighed, squeezing me for a moment. "You should sleep."

I nodded softly.

He detached from me, taking my hand. "You can have my bed." His voice left no room for argument and he led me to the room. I was surprisingly clean, but then again, they had just moved in. Thinking about it, it would only be a matter of time before the small piles of things in the room turned into a mess. "Hold on." He left me but returned a moment later, a pair of girl's pajamas in hand. "I'm sure Yuzu won't mind."

"Thank you," I murmured, taking the clothes in hand.

Ichigo leaned in, kissing me softly. "Goodnight, Rukia."

"Goodnight, Ichigo."

I quickly changed out of my clothes and into Yuzu's pajamas, finding them a bit tight but still comfortable. I hopped into the bed, burying my face in the pillow, happily finding that it smelled like him, and then scolded myself for being so lame. Normally, I would feel uncomfortable by the prospect of sleeping in someone else's bed, but after a moment I was passed out, probably the drooling and snoring kind.

It's been said that by some sort of evolutionary leap, women's hearing has been finely tuned to be especially sensitive to the sound of a crying infant. Well, and I'm sure sensitivity is also enhance by a baby monitor with its volume turned all the way up right next to your head. So when Ren started crying, I found myself instantly up, scrambling to get out of bed. Without even thinking about it I exited the room and walked towards the noise, finding my way into Ren's room.

She was standing in her crib, tears dribbling down her cheeks and collecting on her chin. I walked to her, lifting her gently and holding her to me. Ren seemed surprised, but didn't really argue. It was obvious she simply wanted comfort, not anything more, so she clutched to me, her face disappearing in the crick of my neck. I rocked back and forth, finding myself humming softly. As she began calming down, I found myself analyzing the room, turning slowly. I finally turned to the door, jumping a little bit in surprise.

Ichigo was standing there, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

I blushed and started to stammer, "Do you want to...?"

"No, you're doing just fine." There was that smile again.

In a few more moments, Ren was asleep. I slowly laid her back down in bed, taking her blanket and tucking it around her tightly. I smoothed her hair for a moment and then stepped back from the crib, turning to Ichigo. "I'm sorry, she just started crying and the baby monitor..."

"It's fine. Should have remembered to turn it off for you." He turned and started to walk out of the room, me following close behind.

We reached the crossroads of his room and the hallway to the living room, him starting to continue back to the couch. I reached for him, grabbing hold of the back of his t-shirt, causing him to stop. "Ichigo, why don't you... just sleep in the bed with me?"

I could hear him laugh softly and he finally turned to me, a grin on his face. "Because I wouldn't want to sleep."

"What?" It took me a moment before the realization came to me and the blush spread across my cheeks. "Oh..."

"That's why I'll just sleep on the couch for now." He turned again but my hand shot out again, grasping his shirt tightly.

"No."

Ichigo only turned his head. "Rukia..."

"No," I said firmly. I pulled the back of his shirt, bringing him back into the room with me. I shut the door slowly and he sat down on the bed, his head hanging down.

"Rukia, I don't..." He looked up at me and his words stopped. I had already unbuttoned my shirt, revealing my pale stomach, a hint of my breasts. I made my way to him, standing right in front of him, my legs pressing against the bed between his. He reached for me tentatively, his hands slipping under my shirt, grasping my shoulders. In one swift movement he flicked the shirt off my shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. "You... want to do this?"

"Yes." I answered him without hesitation, catching him a little off guard.

He took his hands away from my shoulders, covering his face. "Fuck."

"You don't want to?" I found myself suddenly self conscious, covering my breasts with my arms.

"Of course I want to!" He sighed. "I don't want to push you."

"I think I was the one who suggested it."

Ichigo looked up and me and frowned, taking my hands. "Rukia..."

"It's what I want."

He sighed again, a look of embarrassment coming across his face. "It's also... been a while."

I laughed softly. "Is that what's bothering you?"

"It's not funny," he grumbled.

"It is," I smiled softly, taking my hands from his and cupping his face. "Because I've never."

"What?"

"Does that really need an explanation?" I laughed. "So, if you're worried about experience, I think we are on almost equal playing ground."

Ichigo looked like he thought it over for a moment before bringing his hands back up to my shoulders, pulling me towards him. He leaned back and I leaned into him, straddling him on the bed. His mouth crushed against mine, forcing open my mouth with his tongue, exploring it to the fullest. I gasped into his mouth as his hand cupped my breast, his thumb gently rolling over my nipple. He squeezed gently, my gasp evolving into a moan.

That was all the encouragement he needed, suddenly flipping me over in the bed, moving me to head. He threw off his shirt, pressing his body against mine again, the mere touch of his bare skin against mine giving me goosebumps. My hands being free, I used them to slip off my pants, Ichigo immediately joining in, throwing them to the floor. I reached for his and he let me slide them off, relieving some of the pressure of his aching erection.

He came back to my mouth, swallowing me again. I thought about prolonging the moment, participating in some teasingly long foreplay, but everything in my body was begging for him simply be in me, finally so close. Without hesitation, I wrapped my legs around his waist, bringing his hips to mine. Ichigo pulled his mouth only inches from mine, his breath hot against my lips. It was obvious he couldn't formulate words, but I knew what he wanted to say, to beg if this was alright. My answer was my hand traveling down his stomach, gripping him to perfectly position him to my opening, his head just barely inside of me.

I gripped his shoulders and brought my mouth to his, kissing him softly and swiftly. He moved his hips achingly slow and I awaited the pain, knowing that a part of me was about to break. As he entered me, the discomfort was evident, but barely what I thought it would be. The sensation of his hard shaft pressing inside of me was enough to make me forget the momentary ache. As he fully entered me, a moan escaped his throat. "Rukia..." he almost growled, bringing his one hand to tangle in my hair.

I nodded to him and Ichigo kissed me as he started his rhyme slowly. He slid his free hand up my side, taking his time to feel my skin. The touching, the kissing, his movement inside of me was almost too much. I could feel a swell growing inside of me. "Faster," I groaned, pushing my hips harder against his.

"Rukia..."

"Please," I begged, pulling him into a hard kiss.

His unsureness disappeared with my pleading and he started thrusting deeper and harder. He began to pant and moan, his face moving to my neck, kissing and nipping at the skin. A trembling started to develop under my skin, causing me to grasp wildly at his back, my nails digging into his skin. I couldn't hold on any longer, something erupting inside of me, causing my hips to buck and a low moan to escape my throat. Ichigo captured it with his mouth, silencing me. It wasn't a moment later before he groaned back into my mouth, all motion stopping.

He collapsed on top of me, still inside me. I held him tightly, not wanting to lose the connection between our bodies. "Ichigo..."

His breath was hot against the skin of my neck. "I'm sorry."

"That was definitely not something you need to apologize about."


End file.
